douglar wrote on 2023-02-01, 18:02:
And the octek cards use a different floppy IO controller too, now that I look at it.
Sometimes the FCCID can be on a sticker that falls off. Or maybe this was never intended for the US.
Can you dump the VGA bios? There might be a reference to the OEM in there somewhere.
Unfortunately, there are no stickers left to fall off. I am 100% it is made by Gainward/Cardex.
mkarcher wrote on 2023-02-01, 18:37:
marshallz wrote on 2023-02-01, 10:43:
I am trying to find more info on this card (jumper settings,etc) but am struggling to even identify it.
You don't necessarily have to find info about the jumpers, you can reverse engineer it yourself without too much hassle. There are no jumpers next to the graphics chip, so that function is likely unjumperable. There are three jumpers next to the VL IDE interface. I expect the single one to be either a 1F0/170 base address switch or an enable/disable jumper, and the paired jumper to select one of four IDE communication speeds. The available speeds are the same for all PDC20230 cards, so the documentation for another one should tell you the actual rates (likely given as number of bus cycles). You can use the "buffered disk read" number from speedsys to find out the general performance of the four possiblities, and map them to the specified speeds.
So only the big bunch of jumpers near the W83757F remain. The datasheet for the W83757F is available at alldatasheet.com for example. It explains six jumpers used to set the base addresses. You can either buzz them out using a continuity tester or just experiment what jumper setting causes which base addresses to show up in the BIOS system configuration screen. Another set of jumpers is for the IRQs: The W83757F has three IRQ output pins: One for the parallel port and one for each serial port. These output pins are routed to IRQ5/IRQ7 for the parallel port (likely a single 3-pin jumper, JP1 would be a prime candidate for that), and the COM ports are often jumperable to IRQ2/3/4/5 with a jumper that can be set in one of four positions. These jumpers just connect ISA IRQ pins to the specific W83757F pins, so buzzing them out as easy, again.
It is looking more and more likely that this may be the route i will need to go down. I was trying to find a controller card with the same Winbond chipset in hopes of being able to cheat at this, thinking it may have the same jumper block but they oddly seemed to be a 1-2-3 pin setting, whereas my card is a 1-2 pin setting Open/Close. The only CARDEX I/O controller i could find had a different jumper block, too.
douglar wrote on 2023-02-02, 03:06:You have a 9301-01 card. Looks like SquallStrife had a 9301-10 card one once upon a time:
Re: "New" Goodies! (Cirrus Logic "T […]
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BitWrangler wrote on 2023-02-01, 20:08:
There's some CL boards identified as Gainward on VGA Legacy that appear to have the same serial number sticker and oval QC OK sticker, but those also seem a bit generic.
You have a 9301-01 card. Looks like SquallStrife had a 9301-10 card one once upon a time:
Re: "New" Goodies! (Cirrus Logic "Two-in-one" within!)
They determined that it was a Gainward, but Gainward wouldn't admit to it.
Seems like the SN number sticker may have been applied over the FCCID on your card.
Yes, I was pointed to that same post from a Facebook group member and i could not believe the similarities! the -10 appears to have less circuitry but same jumper blocks. The PCB layout is slightly different toward the COM IDC connectors. I removed the serial number sticker on mine and oddly enough, there is no FCCID under it either!
I am 100% sure that both cards are made by the same manufacturer. The FCCID of the 9301-10 card says the card is made by Gainward. Gainward was founded in 1984. Their older websites reference a "CARDEX" line. Cardex was the North American division of Gainward formed in 1991. The Cardex website seemed to be absorbed after 1996 into the Gainward site. I think i read Gainward is now owned by Palit? Could be wrong there... All Cardex/Gainward sites reference nothing less than a Cirrus Logic 5440 which I think was released in 1995. It is as if they wanted to forget any older devices prior to that date! None of their sites seem to reference anything other than graphics cards, eventhough Cardex I/O controller cards by themselves exist!
Never in my life have I had so much difficulty identifying an expansion card! Just for laughs, i may try and email them. I think the author of the other post originally posted that he emailed Gainward back in 2011. I can only imagine the response i would get today!
